Rinko's Dream
by Chase Ling Ziao
Summary: Not exactly short nor too the point, but I hope readers find it sweet. :D R&R most welcome. One-shot, Sano/Rinko, set in the far future. Enjoy! :D


Written: July 21-22, 2009

(c) Fukuchi Tsubasa's Characters from his manga, "Law of Ueki"

* * *

"To wake up in someone's arms; that's one of my dreams.

Now that I think about it, I'll probably need to make a list of all my dreams. Good thing I've written them all down, and so every time I reread them, I'll be reminded of their reasons.

Today, however, I feel that this one, I'll need to elaborate. And as always, for just in case I'm old and forgetful or when I'll need to reminisce.

Here goes.

Everyday would be that kind of dream. I'll never be cold. Dressed or not, in sheets or not, whether in the outdoors, in the middle of frigid winter, or atop the highest peaked mountain, I'll be warm. What would keep me going? What is it that frequently eludes the law of nature saying I'll need something simpler than food or water? What else is it that would keep me alive?

I knew it to be impossible, because of Robert's influence and my own beliefs, that there can be something else that would provide me with strength. Later on, I found out that I've already been feeling it, and one of the reasons I decided to stay with Robert. I guess I was too ready to welcome a change to my life. My old life that was full of false friendships and shallow affection.

Being wanted for my own self was what I wanted. Redundant to write here, of course, but there's probably no other way I'd say it. Robert gave me that hope. That I would be wanted for my own self, that I was finally acknowledged for my own being.

I guess I didn't care at first that he had nine other people he depended on, because I was part of that circle of people, and best of all, I wasn't being used the way I was used to. I didn't have to depend on money for my friends.

That was also what I dared to call them. Friends. It felt just grand! We all had similar goals and conversed, and no one abandoned me when I failed. In fact, they helped me become stronger. Some were quite tough with their ways of showing that they care, but I looked beyond that. I knew that they knew I'd be letting Robert down if I wasn't doing what I should.

And, that feeling of hope? It became something more. I then dreamed of Robert and myself. I dreamed I'd become one of his favourites, one of his closest confidantes, or maybe even the one and only.

All of the Ten were known to Robert, and he of each and every one of us. Equality was the most important, and that wasn't forgotten among us. But still; I hoped for more. I longed for more. I wanted for more. Our goal, collectively, was to bring Robert's ranks up by defeating everyone else, and then he would defeat us, gaining all our zai's in the end. In return, all our dreams would have been granted. I didn't officially share mine, unlike the some of the Ten. And despite the fact that when I found out they had only joined to help Robert for their selfish dreams, I stood amongst them. When they needed me, I fought with them. This was because my dream was to wake up in Robert's arms.

When we would finally reach our goal, I dreamt of Robert keeping me behind, saying that he would need me still. When the Ten would probably disband, and everyone had been granted the desires Robert promised them, I, and a few other loyals, who I seriously doubted were, would still support him. I had wanted to be wanted for me; I prayed that he would still say he needed me. He did. So I stayed.

If I knew I couldn't rely on the Ten anymore, Robert would still be there."

Sano Seiichiro put the journal down. It was getting annoying seeing the name "Robert" repeatedly. He knows he's been reformed, currently finding his way in life, like most of them did. Last he's heard was Robert Haydn had been running an organization that helps orphaned children match their parents. Marilyn Carrey and her friends were back in their country and were now enjoying their peaceful lives. According to Mori Ai, they had helped rebuild their nation's strength from its war-caused detriment and were now hopeful leaders of their people. As for Mori, she was starting her teaching career at her former elementary school. Even Hideyoshi Soya was faring quite well, the number one agent for Robert's organization, and still manages to visit the orphanage he first helped out at. Sano himself was working with the ecotourism of Japan, going on the hikes and guiding the tours. And Rinko, of course, how could he forget? She now managed a business of her own, selling traditional Japanese hand-made toys and home-made sweets.

As for Ueki Kousuke, well, his story was different. The last time Sano had seen him, he was helping out at a ramen house nearby their apartment. Sano moved a while back, to a house in the suburbs. The latest news he'd read was about an up and rising new restaurant that took pride in its honest workers and a homey theme. Its founder was a young green-haired man with the most optimistic of outlooks for his restaurant.

He turned in his bed and looked up at the ceiling. The noon day sunlight made everything glow a brighter shade. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He tried to sort out everything that had happened so far and how it went with the events written in the journal. A novel of sorts, you could say, described their endlessly short journey. This particular journal went on, even after that.

The handwriting was neat enough, and no one could tease that it was a girl's. The accounts were thoughtful, and every page Sano had turned to, the stories it held were enticing like food to a hungry person. He ate up every word, every sentence. His wife may chastise him later on, but it didn't matter.

He smiled to himself. Something he recalled tickled him so.

He sat up and opened the journal once more.

"If I knew I couldn't rely on the Ten anymore, Robert would still be there. I imagined myself to be one of the most loyal, the most true to Robert's cause. I took pride in the fact that I remained faithful through and through.

All that changed when I met Ueki.

First I thought that he was surely a lunatic. I mean, who in their right mind would've decided I wasn't a person to fight? I was part of Robert's Ten for heaven's sake! How would he have this strange sense of asking me to be his friend? And more importantly, how did I fall for his goofy, absent-minded nature?

This shouldn't be possible. I know it shouldn't be. Ueki was irrational, someone who relied on his emotions, and was so confident in himself of his powers of persuasion.

Later on, I would find out that Ueki was right on the long run. I was happier with what he said. And I grew to care for the outspoken rascal. Going back on that day, I realized that he wasn't really persuading me. Knowing his nature, he might have attempted that with the other members of the Ten. They were probably quick to turn hostile against him, so I guess he saw it would be useless to try to persuade them. The others were such loud mouths, full of themselves and their powers.

Friendship. After I realized what Ueki had told me, it struck a great blow to my face. One part of my brain said that I was a fool for having let Robert use me. Another part of my brain said that it didn't matter since I really liked him, and I should look past his faults and accept him for who he is. Isn't that what it's really about?

I was thrown into a whirlpool. Inside it, I got hit with confusion, doubt, and questioning my own beliefs. I still managed the strength to stand by Robert. I told myself it wasn't true, that Robert will always and forever be my friend. He showed me friendship at first hand.

It took a few beatings, Ueki getting my help and in turn, me needing Ueki's help, to get the idea to stick. I was still hopeful for Robert to change. Though at the same time, Ueki was right. I shouldn't have to suffer it. No one should suffer for someone else's hopes. Other's hopes have to uplift everyone around them.

It wasn't likely that Robert was going to change anytime soon. I realized that. But then I'd have to rely on myself again. As I thought about fearing for that, Ueki gladly grabbed my hand and told me I was his friend. Right out and frank, he said I was his friend and he would do anything to protect me. Right out and frank, he said that to Robert's face. Robert wasn't fazed, of course. He had already gotten pretty far with his plan.

That was it; Ueki greatly influenced me from my misguided ways. Throughout the rest of the Tournament, the people I was surrounded by, Ai, Hideyoshi, Tenko-chan, Sano, Ueki, everyone made me feel more at home than when I was with the Ten. Despite my fighting with Sano almost every time, putting up with Hideyoshi's antics, and secretly fearing for Ueki and Mori's safety, I felt I was where I should be. I was with my real friends and my life was with them.

I guess I decided to put feelings for Robert aside. During that time, I thought, he should be pitied if he wasn't going to change.

He did change, though. And I was glad. After all that nonsense and nearly getting killed off for a person to be crowned King of some other world somehow connected with ours, the wave of relief swept over me, washing away all the negative sides to it. Funny thing is everything I remember from those days always makes me smile now."

Sano took another breather from the journal. He too was smiling.

The events that transpired had actually brought them closer together. Without realizing it, there was a sort of aura of being around them all. It felt very secure and encouraging. If it could talk, it would have said that everything was going to turn out fine; there would be nothing in the world that could make us forget each other, and we'll never be apart.

Truth be told, they, the five, would have their outings here and there, at Ueki's restaurant (discounted), touring with Sano (discounted too), and this year, they were going on a trip outside of Japan, on the insistence of Rinko to visit Africa's Wildlife Preserve. Sano had been to Africa before. Telling her stories planted the idea.

Laughing to himself, and unknowingly aloud, he continued to read the journal.

"And how did I get from here to my dream? I showed one of the most eventful, life-changing parts of my life and it shows how I changed my dreams. Robert changed his dreams, only he wasn't so sure of it yet. I'd be happy to say that I was proud of myself to have realized my significance without his help. Of course, I did so with the help of Ueki and the others, but that's a different kind. They were supportive of me. Robert was just telling me what I wanted to hear.

I changed my dreams. I wanted to wake up in Robert's arms before, but now, I wanted something else. I wanted to wake up in the company of my friends. I wanted my friends to wake up with my arms around them. I wanted to care for them and they wanted to care for me too.

It warmed me up to the reality of the world. It would never change that there are harsh events in one's life that make it seem impossible to bear, but there would always be out stretched hands willing to help. I was pretty lucky to have seen my helping hand right away. In fact, like I said, it grabbed me. For some, it appeared that it would never come, like Robert. His helping hand came in form of Ueki later on. He realized what I had realized. A little too late though, but he was grateful in the end. And as for Hideyoshi, it was us.

Robert, Robert, Robert. My mind wouldn't let go of him after that event. I confessed, and fate did the rest. I didn't know what happened afterward, and everyone else insisted that nothing did. I guess I may never know."

Sano felt a chill down his spine. He and the other four decided to keep quiet about that whenever they were around her.

"I awoke with a sensation that was strange. I didn't feel all giddy anymore when I saw Robert's picture with the Ten from before. I felt that nothing for him after that. Then, something even stranger happened. I took a glance at a photo of us, with Mr. K and Inumaru, and then my heart started to flutter. I tried to remain calm, but my breathing picked up pace. My eyes were looking at one person, and I felt that I was blushing. I tried to calm my breathing down. I went to the bathroom and washed my face. My thoughts were racing. Why in the world was I feeling this way for one person? The last one I recalled feeling this way was for Robert, but not anymore.

I decided to test a theory I formed while calming down, that I might actually come to like this other person. I closed my eyes, felt my way from the bathroom to my bed and then sat on it. I felt around for my picture frames. The moment I felt one, I brought it in front of me and then opened my eyes. It was a picture of Robert. And I actually felt relieved that my heart wasn't fluttering? That may be the good thing, I told myself. Maybe it was just an accident. Maybe I was really getting the flu. I grabbed another frame to confirm that obviously false conclusion. Yes, it was obviously false since after seeing the picture of me and my friends, I knew that one person was making my heart flutter.

When I first saw Robert's picture for that little experiment of mine, I felt glad that my heart didn't flutter for him. But I figured that secretly, my heart was hoping for me to pick up the other frame and gaze at the one who did.

There isn't much sense to that experiment of mine, but it brought about a great deal of questions about my real feelings. Why did it become this person? How did that happen? Why so soon after Robert?

I guess, the best explanation I could probably give, is that he was there when I put my feelings for Robert aside. I told myself before that I wouldn't let just anyone fill the void in me that was waiting for Robert, but I guess I had just let that happen. So many guesses, don't you think?

That aside, he might have leaked his personality, his spontaneity, and his over-all child-like roguish charm into the space reserved for Robert (once he changed, I mean). It was stronger than I realized, and pretty soon, though my heart kept it secret from my thoughts, I grew to liking him.

I figured I couldn't tell him straight away. That would be weird and I didn't want to jeopardize our friendship status, along with the rest of the gang (though I get the feeling that Ai would be 100% supportive of me, and Ueki would try his best to stay out of it, and Hideyoshi would be "go" for the cause of helping after a self-pity speech about not having anyone to like him). Besides, he was going around Japan and out of the country too; all of that and one after the other. Busy schedule for him, and when he gets back, I'm sure he'd wanted to relax and enjoy the company of friends, not a just a crush-sick me.

He did come close to asking me about the topic once. We were all out to celebrate Sano's return when he asked me why I was quieter than usual. Absent-mindedly, I had answered him. "I'm thinking of someone." I didn't realize it until I had said it. I tried to take it back, but a mischievous grin had already spread through his face. The others had heard it too and so all eyes were on me.

I convinced them all that it was just a slip of the tongue. I quickly covered up for it by saying I thinking of Tenko. They believed me well enough and it wasn't an outright lie. I missed Tenko, the cute little furball.

A later outing we went to had blown the roof right off the secret I've been keeping. I was thankful in the end, since having kept it to myself hadn't helped much.

The day we spent together, everyone looked like they had fun. I tried to act as calm as I would normally show, but some things weren't my forte and some people were too sharp. The whole day I was with him and the rest of my friends and the feeling in my chest grew tighter. The same thing, they noticed and he again asked of me. I gulped.

I wanted to get it off my chest. I wanted to breathe again. Ai was tempting me, saying that it was the summer festival and that I should relax about things like this. Either she it was that she was teasing me into spilling my guts or she was reassuring me that it was trivial matter that needn't be expounded. It was only like that with Ai; everyone else was eager with the former.

What could I do? I could tell everyone and never speak again for the rest of my life. That was how embarrassed I felt! Not that I trust my friends, but that would mean telling him straight in his face!"

Sano then burst out laughing. He clearly saw her face back then. Her eyes, afraid to look his way but still twinkling under the summer festival fireworks, her blush hidden by the orange glow of the night sky, and everyone's eyes aimed on her. She wore a pretty yukata that day, a simple pattern of flowers and petals against a heron-blue background. Her hair was tied back with the pin he'd bought her and Ai from his travels.

It was the day that he realized his own feelings about her. Reading it all now, it seemed like a different side of the story of which she confided with him some years ago.

He read on, not seeing another figure just outside his room.

"The incident, I quickly wanted to forget. I told them all. I then expected the worse to happen, but they all just stood there, mouths hanging open, dumbstruck faces shared all around. I closed my eyes in shame, only to be greeted by their funny faces all around when I decided to open them. I laughed. In the end, I never wanted to forget it after all.

They didn't understand why I was laughing so hard. They'd even ask me if I was feeling alright. Ai was the first to realize why I was laughing. Hideyoshi's and Sano's faces appeared frozen in that position. She laughed along with me, after wiping drool off her face from her own dumbstruck expression.

We all shared the laugh, Sano being the last one to join in. It took some time, but in the end, they've accepted the curiosity that I liked Sano. Even Sano himself. He took the longest to sort it out, but who could blame him? He was new to this sort of thing. I was coming back to a familiar territory with a surprising new twist.

He told me that he was fine with it, that it wouldn't change the friendship between us. Though, he did elaborate that he wasn't ready for stuff like this. I decided then, to wait. Like I did with Robert, I would wait for him.

I decided to tell them because they were my friends. Enough experience had told me that through smooth or rough roads, real friends were the skin on your back, that they would always be a part of you. Scratched or abraded away by the rough road or made soft by the smooth road, they were always there for you. And I knew there would be the awkwardness, the distancing and personal contemplation. Thank heavens for Ai, the only other girl among my friends who understands me, and rather quickly at that. I'm really lucky to have her.

I decided to tell him because I guess it wouldn't be fair if I hadn't. It took me a long while to tell my feelings to Robert. We had gone out once, but I believe we've become too different. I was a different person, and he, though changed for the better, was respectively a different person as well. When he agreed to go out with me, I thought I saw this spark. A small glimmer of hope for Robert's feelings for me. The event my friends insist didn't happen, which caused the withering of whatever relationship Robert and I gave a chance to grow, remains a mystery to me, as I've said. But I believe that was when I realized it wasn't Robert. And I believe he also realizes that it wasn't me, that we're meant to be friends and just that."

The journal immediately got ripped out of Sano's hands. It was literally torn; someone else had grabbed it.

Sano feared to turn around and face the person, of his entire being he was absolutely sure of, now holding the written accounts.

"Sano. You should seriously know better." Her voice was full of anger. But he couldn't help but smile.

He faced her with his mischievous grin.

"I don't think you should've left your journal somewhere I could find it, you know." He knew his tone would annoy her a little more. He watched his funny wife.

She was now reading through the journal, her trained eyes, skimming at the page she caught him at.

"Tell me you haven't read all the way through."

Silence. His silence was met with her hands wringing his undershirt. So close to his neck, and yet it was usually enough to shake a lot of the sense she'd wanted to put into him. He kept his smiling face, obviously used to the routine. Her husband never did fail to annoy her. That was the promise he never failed to keep (including faithfulness, of course).

"SANO! This is not what I expected when I agreed! You, of all people, should have never touched my diary!"

Sano laughed his hearty laugh. It used to stop Rinko in whatever actions she'd been doing; today was not the case. She blushed furiously though, if that was any consolation. Sano enjoyed every moment of it.

"Your laugh isn't going to melt my strength today! You've done me a great deal of disrespect with your –argh! – rashness!"

All the time she ranted, he was closely watching her face, whenever it neared his or not. If he timed it right, he'd get her to calm down.

"You and your carelessness never seem to change! Do you even think anymore? If I had seen your journal lying around I'd have –"

Sano kissed his funny, bespectacled wife. He was right; she calmed down. Her grip on his undershirt loosened and the journal. Seeing his chance, he grabbed for the notebook. Something stopped him though.

Without warning, Rinko hugged Sano. She knew how to get around his antics with a bit of her own. She could feel his frame stiffen. He dropped the notebook where he picked it up from, surprised at her sudden actions. She could then feel his body shifting for a better position. She kept her arms around his chest, even when he placed his hands comfortably on her sides.

"-if I had seen _your_ journal lying around, I would have hidden it for you, then tell you later where I've hidden it. And then much later, I would find it again and read through it without your consent."

"That's your plan?"

"I'm not telling you when I'm going to look for it again, of course."

She turned to face him. His smile greeted her again. She felt one forcing its way on her face, and she let it appear, in turn then, gracing him with one too. Their foreheads touched. Rinko moved her lips closer to Sano's, giving him a light kiss.

They kissed again. Sano's hands placed themselves onto her upper and the small of her back. They pulled her frame closer to him. They kissed again. Rinko moved her hands to support her: one on the bed and the other on Sano's nape. She forced herself towards him. They kissed again.

They broke apart, still staring into the other's eyes. It was quiet between them, save for their heavy breathing.

"You were after that the whole time, weren't you?"

Sano's mischievous grin spread through his face again. He saw through her plan. They remained looking at each other with gentle lovey-dovey expressions. To break the silence, Rinko giggled.

It wasn't entirely her fault for leaving her diary out in the open, but she shouldn't have in the first place. Heck, the entry he'd read was practically bookmarked! It was on her desk for heaven's sake. Then again, she expected that he should've known better than to give into the temptation of reading it. So very much like Rinko to plan things this way. She knew he wouldn't. She knew that what he would've done.

But who could resist the chance of reading her journal? And he was her husband, no less. As much as they'd love each other enough to have gotten married, lawfully put aside their differences and live together, it opened yet another side to Rinko. A side he could only speculate being there. There was more to her nature than being "slow and calculating". Despite that it influenced her very view of the world, and their tag-team synchronous-realization (which was amazing, if you think about it) had given him a new insight, he hadn't thought about it in this light before.

"Can I finish this page?"

His tone tried to mimic that of a child's. He even attempted to wear the expression. It made Rinko laugh louder.

"If you stop making that face, then fine."

He and Rinko fixed themselves into a cosier set-up. She took the journal and placed it in his hands, open to where he had left off. His eyes followed the next paragraph as he felt Rinko's head rest on his shoulder. She read along as well.

"Going back to the dream, that is, I say now, how I describe love. I dream to be loved by someone and to love someone the same way.

I don't know when, but waiting for Sano had grown into something more. I thought back to the days when we had first met, when we had first tagged- team, and it was all fitting into place. At least it was in my mind. I thought about his attitude, how he was more than the changed Robert I had ever hoped for. He always treated me fairly. He put me first when harm was in the way. He gave me deeper reasons to wait for him. For Robert, it was just because we had to save him from Anon. I didn't realize it at first, but now I think I still considered him because I was so happy he was alright. For Sano, I felt, he made me whole. I laughed at the idea first, but now it seems so real. I thought it was just for our team work's sake, but it had spilled over to my heart too. Again, my heart kept secrets from me.

This is the person I had come to love. This is the person whose arms I wanted to wake up in. In the mean time, I'll continue to dream. He'll always find my arms around him, in or out of dreams, and I may not always be next to him, but my thoughts will be.

Rinko, July 21, 2009"

He closed the notebook and placed it on the bedside table. He looked up and flexed his neck muscles that have been stuck in one position for the longest time.

"Your story's not that bad. And with that grammar, it could've passed off as a novel. A best seller even."

"Even if I take that as a compliment, don't think that I'll let you read from it again."

"Like I said, find a better hiding place for it."

He eased himself below her, his eyes still watching hers. She responded by shifting her position. She comfortably lay on top of him. He then proceeded to run his palm up and down her spine. She slowly placed her arms around his face, making sure his skin felt hers creating a pleasant friction. They enjoyed the other's intimacy.

Another one of Rinko's plans were falling into place. Smiling, as she willingly submitted herself to his embrace, she would surely find a better hiding place after distracting him.

And she had a long plan for distracting him.


End file.
